Several different and plausible explanations for the Sunbelt spike have been offered – including the heavy use of air conditioning, young people deciding not to protect themselves because they now know they are at low risk, and possibly even some importation of cases from Mexico. That confused reality has not stopped media outlets from insisting that the end of lockdowns must have been responsible for the rise in infections – even though the rise began between five and eight weeks after the lockdowns ended. Even more importantly, the media has largely failed to report that the Sunbelt spike in
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